Vehicle heater



March 26, 1929. LINENDOLL 1,706,699-

Filed Dec. 18. 1922 IVA nu l/ 14 z;

INVENTVOR Asa ELznendoZl ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 26, 1929.

UNITED STATES a I g i 1,706,699. PATENT VEHICLE HEATER.

Application filed December 18, 1922. Serial No. 607,589.

:My invention relates to vehicle heaters which utilize theexhaust gasfrom the motor for the heating medium, and has for its object to providea heater of that type which will be efficient andleakproof, especiallyOther features of the invention'will ap pear as thedescription proceeds,and will be specifically pointed out in the appended claims;

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of thisspecification: I

Figure 1 is a plan view of a heaterembodyingmy invention, a portion ofthe cover plate being broken away at one end; l Figure 2 is a transversesection oflthe heater. taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; v

' Figure 3 isa side view, partly in elevation and a part in longitudinalsection;

Figure is ahorizontal section of parts as theywould appear on the line44 of Fig. 3, and i Figure 5 is a view of the'washer. or packing for myleak-proof joint. I

The heater consists of a casing having vertical walls 11 at the ends andsides and a bottom 13. Within the casing is held the heating tube whichis integral, but may be of any form desired,'it being only essentialthat the ends of the coils shall be located in proper position overtheopenings in the bottom of the casing to make possible the connectionwith the exhaust or escape pipes as will be later explained. Theheateris adapted to be seated inthe floor of the vehicle with itsjuppersurface substantially flush with the floor as indicated by 12 in Figs.-2and-3. The upper edges of the casing body have a projecting flange 14upon which the cover plate may rest, a downwardly projecting flange 21bearing against the inner surface of the casing wall and serving to holdthe said plate in proper os i n. Y

1n the bottom of the casing i a circular opening 16 which is closed atwill by a de-. tacha-ble. plate'17 of corresponding shape and which isprovided .with a peripheral flange resting on the edge of the opening. Abridge bar 18 shown only in section in Fig.

OFFICE! 1 ASA E. LINENDOLL, 0F NoawALx, euro.

3 but in elevation in Fig. 2, serves to connect a the lower plate of thecasing with the cover plate, so that the latter will be readilyremovable. There are three of these -barsj18 all of which are alike, andall serving a similar function, aswill be later more fully explained.

Immediately above the plate 17 is an apertured sleeve 19 which is madeintegral with the coils 10 and bears down upon the'plate 17 to cover theopening 16 tightly when pressure is exerted downwardly upon the tubes10. This is accomplished-by providing the center of the middle bar 18with a threaded ,19, through an opening in the plate 17, and

by rotation fromabove, serving to hold the cover 20-rigidly down uponthe flange 14, andalso to press the ends of the bar 18 tightly upagainst the casing bottom, but not touching the plate 17, for obviousreasons.

Other bolts 23 at either side of the central bolt22,screw into thecentralaperture of a bar 18 beneath the casing and bear downward upon aslightly extended flange integral with the tube 10, thus serving notonly to hold the tube 10 and its sleeve 19 down upon the plate 17 butalso bearing upward on the casing bottom." At the ends of the tubes 10are flanges 24 which serve to make convenient manual removal of thecoils, as my heater can be dismantled from the interior of thevehicle-above the car floor. v

I In the form of heating coils which is used to embody the invention nowdisclosed, the tube 10 is made up of two lengths as shown in Figs. 1 and2, which lengths unite at their ends" to provide a common downwardlyextending tube 26 for suitable connection with the'exhaust'and escapepipes. This tube 26 is integral with a reduced extension 25' by which ashoulder 27 is formed for a purpose to be later stated, the reduced pipeclosely fitting the opening 15 though movable through it. -The loweredge of the pipe 25 extends below the plane of the casing bottom 13, andcon ctions made from it to the exhaust or escape pipes 32 by providingthe latter with a reduced end or sleeve 28 of suitable size to enter thecoil extension, the sleeve having an outstanding enlarged flange 31forming a shoulder upon which the pipe end 25 rests when the connectionis made. An asbestos vasher 30 is provided for fitting between theextensions 25 and flanges 31, and making the joint quite leakpreoli Forseating the coils desirably upon the casing floor, a dished annularmetal washer 29 is snugly fitted about the pipe 25 just beneath theshoulder 27 so that the downward pressure oi the tube 10 is exerted uponthe casing wall 13 yieldingly, for the ring 29 is within the casing. Thescrews 23 will serve to take up a reasonable amount of resistance insaid ring. The pipes 32 are reduced somewhat beneath the flange 31, thelatter resting upon and about the edge of an opening in a rectangularmetal piece 33. This cap piece 33 is angular in longitudinal section, asseen in Fig. 3, thus providing flattened edges or flanges 3i which areriveted at 35 to the casing bottom 13, as shown in Figs. 3 and l. Thescrew 23 passes loosely through the said flange 34, and the bar 13 isspaced above the flange, as shown in Fig. 2, bearing against the casingatits ends. This cap piece 33 is therefore open at each end, as shown atthe left end of Fig. 3, so that if gases should by any possibility leakfrom the joint at 30, they would be wholly outside the casing, and wouldescape below the car floor at such open ends of part 33.

This insurabil'ity of gases being confined within the tubes 10, whilethe parts are assembled, arises from the fact that all tube parts abovethe casing bottom are integral thus making leaking therefrom absolutelyimpossible. The only place from which gases'can possibly leak at thejoint between the heating tube and exhaust pipe and thiswould be belowthe reduced pipe part 25 whichis below and outside of the casing. Theasbestos washer will be quite positive in preventing leaking at thispoint, as repeated tests have shown, but any possible escape of gases atthis point will only lead to the open ends of the cap 33, as beforeexplained.

Assuming that the parts are assembled in the car floor and that it isdesired to clean or renovate. the heater of all foreign matter that mayhave dropped through the cover onto the hot coils 10; it is onlynecessary to remove the screw 22 and take the cover 20 oil to gain easyand ready access to the casing and its coils 10. If, however, it is moreadvantageous to remove the coils also, the removal of the screws 23 aswell will permit the bodily removal of the coils from the casing, thetubular parts25 being readily withdrawn from the asbestos lined flange31, the tubes 32 remaining in position by being held upon the cap piece33 which is riveted at 35 by its flanges 34 to the casing bottom 13. Theparts may be readily reseated in position by replacing in reverse orderfrom their recited removal.

It will be obvious that various changes within the scope of the appendedclaims may be made, and it is especially to be noted that the tubing maybe a single tube or divided into any number of tubes united at theirends adjacent the casing ends for litting in the disclosed joint. Theadvantages will obviously be much the same from this construction,whether one or more tubes are used. Further, While I have disclosed adished ring for fitting between the shoulder of the tube portionsleading from the heater and the casing bottom, in some instances othermeans such as an asbestos gasket may well be substituted for the ring,and in other cases it is feasible to enlarge somewhat the said shoulderand rest the same directly on the casing floor, the latter being ofsheet metal is yieldable to a greater or lessdegree to permit thetightening of thebolts or screws 23 for drawing the tube parts 25tightly against the gasket on the flanges 31, so that the desired end isattained in either case-a tight joint, and theonly possible point ofescape of gases from such joint being below the casing bottom.

What I desire, to claim as new and useful is, v

1. In a motor exhaust heater, a casing adapted to be seated in the floorof a vehicle and having inlet and outlet openings in its bottom, and aheating tube in said casing having integral tube parts extending downthrough and fitting snugly in said inletand outlet openings, incombination with connecting pipes fitting within said tube parts andhaving annular flanges spaced from their ends and receivingthereon thelower ends of said tube parts, means depending from said casing bottomfor contacting the said flanges to support said connecting pipes,whereby possible leakage at the resulting joint between said pipes andtube will issue below the casing bottom.

2. In a motor exhaust heater, a casing adapted to be seated in the floorof a vehicle and having inlet and outlet openings. in its bottom, and aheating tube in said casing having integral tubular parts extending downthrough and fitting snugly in said in lot and outlet openings, incombination with tubular connections from the exhaust and escape pipestelescoping within said tubular parts, external flanges aboutsaidconnections limiting the position of the lower ends of said tubularparts, and asbestos gaskets above said flanges to form gas-proofconnection between the flanges and the ends of said tubular partsresting thereon, said connection being below the. casing bottom,

' whereby possible gas leakage at said flange connection willissueoutside the casing.

3. In a motor exhaust. heater, a casing ing tube in said casinghavingimperforate and integraltubular extensions adapted to pass'through'saidopenings, pipe means below said casing for connecting said extensionswith exhaust and. escape tubes, said pipe'ineans and extensions havingtelescoping ends fitting snugly together to form a gas-tight joint,anangular supporting cap piece having open ends, side flangesforsacuring the same to the bottom of the easing, and a circular aerture in the main portion through whic the connecting pipe meansextends to form the said joint a ove the cap, the said pipe means havingmeans spaced from'its end for supporting the same from said cap, and therelation between the pipe means, cap and extensions being such thatpossible leak from said joint will issue outside said casing and throughthe open ends of the cap. j

4. In a motor exhaust heater, a casing adapted to be seated in the floorof a vehicle and having openings in its bottom, a heating tube in saidcasing, downwardly extend ing tubular parts integral with said tubefitting snugly in and passing through said bottom openings, means foryieldingly forcing said tube and its downward extensions to their lowestlimit, an angular cap plate having its ends open and its sides fixed tothe bottom of the casing and having a circular aperture through itscenter portion slightly larger in diameter than the said extension,tubular connections fitting within said tubular parts and having annularflanges spaced-from their ends and receiving thereon the lower ends ofsaid tubular parts, the lower part of the said connections passingthrough said circular aperture with the said flange resting on the capplate, whereby possible leakage at said flange connection will issueoutside the casing and through said open ends of the cap.

5. In a motor exhaust heater, a casing adapted to be seated in the floorof a vehicle and having a plurality of openings in its bottom, a heatingtube in said casing, a foraininous cover for the casing, downwardlyextending tubular parts integral with said tube including reduced tubeportions whereby a shoulder is formed thereabove, fitting snugly in andpassing through said openings, dished metal rings encircling saidreduced tube portions just beneathsaid shoulder and resting upon thecasing bottom, attaching means connecting'the casingbottom and tube forpressing the latter yieldingly downward against the force of said dishedrings, tubular connections fitting within said tubular parts and havingannular flanges spaced from their ends. and receiving thereon thelowerends of said tubular parts, means depending from said casing bottomon which the flanges rest for supporting said tubular connections, andmeans detachably connected with the bottom of the casing for holding thecover on the edges of the casing.

6. In a motor exhaust heater, a casing adapted to be seated in the floorof a vehicle and having openings in its bottom, a heating tube in saidcasing, downwardly directed tubularextensions integral with said tubefitting snugly in and passing through said bottom openings, tubularmeans below the gas-tight, a cap piece angular in cross section andhaving side flanges adapted to be fixed to the lower side of the floorof the easing, the ends of the cap being open and its main part having acentral aperture through which said tubular connecting means is threadedand supported upon the inner face of the cap, means connecting thecasing and tube for pressing the latter tightly against the tubularconnecting means, and yielding means within and supported by the casingfor opposing said pressure.

7. In a motor exhaust heater, a casing adapted to be seated in the floorof a vehicle and having openings in its bottom, and an integral heating,tube'in said casing having reduced and integral tube parts extendingdown through and fitting snugly in said openings, in combination withconnecting respectively, and fitting within the extended outwardportions of the said reduced tube parts to form telescoping joints inwhich the lower ends of the said integral tube parts are below thelowersurface of the casing bottom.

8. In a motor exhaust heater, a' casing adapted to be seated in thefloor of a vehicle and having openings in its bottom, and an integralheating tube in said casing having integral tube parts extending downthrough said bottom openings, in combination with connecting pipesleading fromexhaust and escape pipes, respectively, and forming withsaidoutward ends of the tube parts extended below said bottom opening,joints whose exsurface of the casing bottom. j

9 A motor exhaust heater comprising a casing adapted tobe seated in thefloor of a ternal point of connection is below the lower vehicle andhaving openings in its bottom, an integral and upwardly removableheating coil Within said casing and having integral tubes leadingtherefrom and extending down through said openings and below saidbottom, the joints for connecting said outward extended ends ofsaidtubes with sources of heat being wholly below the casing bottom.

10. In a heater, a casing having a cleaning opening in its bottom, aclosure for said opening, an upwardly removable unitary heating coilwithin the casing and over said opening and closure, tube parts integralwith said coil extending downwardly through the casing bottom,connections with exhaust and escape pipes, respectively, for detachablyuniting with said tube parts by joints wholly beneath the casing bottom,and means accessible from above for fixing the coil and closure inposition.

11. In a motor exhaust heater, a casing having a cleaning opening in itsbottom, a

closure for said opening seated on top of the bottom of the casing andremovable upwardly therefrom, a unitary heater coil in the casing, a lugintegral with the coil and depending therefrom and engaged with the topof the closure, downwardly-extending tube parts integral with said coil,connections beneath the said casing bottom for detachably uniting withsaid tube parts, and means accessible from above the casing for fixingthe coil and closure in position.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix' my signature.

ASA E. LIN'ENDOLL;

